FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DOVE AND THE CROWN COALITION PROCLAIM VICTORY IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA AND THE STATE OF COLORADO MAKING THEM THE FOURTH AND FIFTH STATES TO JOIN THE CROWN ACT MOVEMENT
Virginia signed into law by Governor Ralph Northam on Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Signed into law by Governor Jared Polis on Friday, March 6, 2020
#THECROWNACT #CROWNCOALITION
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ – March 9, 2020 – The CROWN Coalition, the official national supporters of the CROWN Act movement; an alliance founded by Dove, National Urban League, Western Center on Law & Poverty and Color Of Change, along with over 50 CROWN Act supporting organizations are thrilled to announce the Commonwealth of Virginia and the state of Colorado as the latest states to enact the CROWN Act. This important law will prohibit hair discrimination against anyone based on the texture of their hair, hair type, protective hairstyles like braids, locs and twists.
In Virginia, Senator Lionell Spruill Sr. and Delegate Delores L. McQuinn, introduced SB 50/HB 1514 as the Virginia Human Rights Act. Governor Northam signed the bill into law on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 making the Commonwealth of Virginia the fourth state to make hair discrimination illegal. On February 4, 2020, SB 50 passed unanimously on the Senate Floor with a vote of 40-0 and HB 1514 passed the House floor with a vote of 71-26 on February 21, 2020,. SB 50 and HB 1514 are identical bills.
Introduced in Colorado by Representatives Leslie Herod, Janet Buckner, and state Senator Rhonda Fields, Colorado is now the fi]h state to pass the bill. The CROWN Act (HB20-1048) prohibits discrimination based on a person's traits that are historically associated with race, such as hair texture, hair type and protective hairstyles, including locs and braids. On February 12, 2020, the bill passed in the House with a vote of 42-21. It then passed in the Senate on February 28, 2020 with a 23-11 vote. Governor Jared Polis officially signed the bill into law on Friday, March 6, 2020.
In addition to Virginia and Colorado passing The CROWN Act during the week of March 2nd, Connecticut, Illinois and Maryland held legislative hearings and Ohio introduced similar legislation.
“Dove is proud to be part of such an important movement and moment in culture,” said Esi Eggleston Bracey, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of North America Beauty and Personal Care at Unilever. “We are happy to see Virginia and Colorado added to California, New York and New Jersey. We started this effort with The CROWN Coalition just 12 months ago and to have 2 additional states with laws now passed in the same week, making hair discrimination illegal and over 20 other states introducing similar legislation, underscores how the power of community can drive change.”
The CROWN Act recently had an unbelievable moment at the 92nd Academy Awards as Matthew A. Cherry and his producing partner Karen Rupert Toliver won the Oscar for Animated Short Film for their project “Hair Love.” This inspirational short showcases the beauty of Black families and aims to normalize Black hair. Not only did Matthew bring attention to the CROWN Act as a part of his speech but he also extended a personal invitation to DeAndre Arnold, the Texas high school student prohibited from graduating with his class this summer because of the length of his locs. “Everyone should be free to wear their hair however they want discrimination free,” says Cherry. “I’m proud to support the CROWN Act and am excited to see Virginia and Colorado join California, New York and New Jersey in making our schools and workplaces inclusive and accepting to our hair.”
"I am happy to have passed legislation in Virginia that will prevent discrimination in the workplace for hairstyles on the basis of race. I am thankful for the CROWN Act movement in pushing this issue to the forefront," stated Senator Lionell Spruill, Sr.
“I am proud that the Colorado General Assembly has passed the CROWN Act and it is now the law of this great state,” said Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod. “The passage of the CROWN Act sends a message to every little girl, boy and non-binary youth who has been forced to change their hair to fit in. Everyone deserves to feel safe, to feel proud of their culture and heritage, and to be celebrated for their self-expression.”
Join the movement that’s creating real change and aiding in the efforts to ensure Black men, women and children feel confident in expressing themselves. Sign the petition to help us end discrimination and learn how you can get involved in bringing anti-hair discrimination legislation to your state.
The CROWN Coalition is a national alliance comprised of the National Urban League, Western Center on Law & Poverty, Color Of Change, and Dove.
About The CROWN Coalition
The CROWN Coalition is proud to sponsor and/or support the following bills in California, New York, and New Jersey:
Sponsor of CA Senate Bill 188 ‘The CROWN Act’ introduced by Senator Holly J. Mitchell
Supporter of NY S6209A introduced by NY State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey and Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright
Supporter of NJ Senate Bill 3945; introduced by NJ State Senator Sandra B. Cunningham
Supporter of Virginia Legislation: Senate Bill 50 introduced by VA State Senator Lionell Spruill Sr. and House Bill 1514 introduced by Delegate Delores L. McQuinn
Supporter of Colorado House Bill 20-1048; introduced by Representatives Leslie Herod, Janet Buckner, and CO State Senator Rhonda Fields
These bills address unfair grooming policies that have a disparate impact on Black women, men and children and has drawn attention to cultural and racial discrimination taking place within workplaces and public charter schools. The CROWN Coalition members believe diversity and inclusion are key drivers of success across all industries and sectors.
About Dove
Dove started its life in 1957 in the US, with launch of the Beauty Bar, with its patented blend of mild cleansers and ¼ moisturizing cream. Dove’s heritage is based on moisturization – proof not promises grew Dove from a Beauty Bar into one of the world’s most beloved beauty brands.
Women have always been our inspiration and since the beginning, we have been wholly committed to providing superior care to all women and to championing real beauty in our advertising. Dove believes that beauty is for everyone. That beauty should be a source of confidence and not anxiety. Dove’s mission is to inspire women everywhere to develop a positive relationship with the way they look and realize their personal potential for beauty.
For 60 years, Dove has been committed to broadening the narrow definition of beauty in the work they do. With the ‘Dove Real Beauty Pledge,’ Dove vows to:
1. Portray women with honesty, diversity and respect. We feature women of different ages, sizes, ethnicities, hair colour, type and style.
2. Portray women as they are in real life, with zero digital distortion and all images approved by the women they feature.
3. Help young people build body confidence and self-esteem through the Dove Self-Esteem Project, the biggest provider of self-esteem education in the world.
About Unilever North America
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. In the United States and Canada, the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Dove, Hellmann’s, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Love Beauty and Planet, Magnum, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond’s, Popsicle, Pure Leaf, Q-tips, Seventh Generation, Simple, Sir Kensington’s, St. Ives, Suave, Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, TAZO, TIGI, TRESemmé and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.
Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) underpins the company’s strategy and commits to:
Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being by 2020.
Halving the environmental impact of our products by 2030.
Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.
The USLP creates value by driving growth and trust, eliminating costs and reducing risks. In 2018, the company’s Sustainable Living Brands grew 69% faster than the rest of the business, compared to 46% in 2017.
Since 2010 we have been taking action through the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan to help more than a billion people improve their health and well-being, halve our environmental footprint and enhance the livelihoods of millions of people as we grow our business. We have already made significant progress and continue to expand our ambition – most recently committing to ensure 100% of our plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. While there is still more to do, we are proud to have been recognized in 2018 as sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and as the top ranked company in the GlobeScan/SustainAbility Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders survey, for the eighth-consecutive year.
For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com For more information on the USLP: www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/
About National Urban League
The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. The National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its 90 local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people annually nationwide. Visit www.nul.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @NatUrbanLeague.
About Color Of Change
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by more than 1.4 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people and our allies in America. Our campaigns and initiatives win changes that matter. By designing strategies powerful enough to fight racism and injustice—in politics and culture, in the work place and the economy, in criminal justice and community life, and wherever they exist—we are changing both the written and unwritten rules of society. We mobilize our members to end practices and systems that unfairly hold Black people back, and champion solutions that move us all forward.
About Western Center on Law & Poverty
Western Center fights for justice and system-wide change to secure housing, health care, racial justice and a strong safety net for low-income Californians. Western Center attains real- world policy solutions for our clients through litigation, legislative and policy advocacy, and technical assistance and legal support for the state’s legal aid programs. Western Center is California’s oldest and largest legal services support center. Visit wclp.org.
###
Contacts:
Marcy Polanco
917-940-3099
Jessica Thorpe
757-285-5399
Byron Edwards
301-461-7146